May 18 – 22, 2026 - Stockastrologer - Financial Astrology

The S&P 500 gained 9 points last week. I also expected it to go higher. The pullback that occurred on Friday appears to have arrived slightly earlier than expected. My daily forecasts were a little off, too.

Here is the expected breakdown for the week of May 18, 2026, to May 22, 2026.

A new monthly solar return chart will be applicable for the period May 18 to June 17, 2026. The description of the monthly chart is given on the front page. Visitors interested in the details can look at the front page, the Monthly Forecast section, and Read More… Here I describe only the shorter periods.

Mars is the compressed Vimshottri dasha planet for May 18 – May 19. Mars is in the sign Aries and occupies the third house. Although it is in a sign it rules, it is weak because it is about to change the sign. It forms a sextile to Venus, another planet about to change signs. As a result, the market may drop lower during this period.

The next planet in the Vimshottri scheme is Rahu. Its term of office is May 20 – May 23. Rahu occupies the sign Pisces in the second house and forms a square aspect with Mercury. This may cause the market to go lower.

Transits during this week:

The Sun is now transiting Taurus, a sign of its enemy. It has no aspect with any planet. On Monday (May 18), the Moon transits Gemini, and it forms only wide aspects with other planets. As a result, the stock market may end flat on Monday.

On Tuesday (May 19), Mars transits into Taurus, a sign of its enemy, and it forms a sextile aspect with weak Venus. As a result, Tuesday may be a lower day for the markets.

On Wednesday (May 20), Mercury advances fast in Gemini, a sign it rules. It makes a square aspect with Rahu in Pisces and Ketu in Virgo. Mercury is very close to Uranus. May 20 may therefore also be a day that ends lower.

On Thursday (May 21), exalted Jupiter makes no close aspect with any planet, only a wide square aspect to Saturn. Thursday may, therefore, be a slightly higher day.

Venus is now transiting Cancer. Venus forms a trine with Rahu and a sextile with Mars. Saturn, however, is weak in Aries. Friday (May 22) may therefore be a slightly higher day.

By combining the transit and CVD techniques, I have estimated the stock market’s daily behavior as follows.

Monday: Flat; Tuesday: Lower; Wednesday: Lower; Thursday: Slightly lower; Friday: Slightly higher.

Overall, the S&P 500 is expected to end lower this week.

Yearly Forecast for

2026: Chaotic, but end flat

My forecast for 2025 was correct. The S&P500 rose from 5800 to approximately 6800. My monthly forecast was right for many months and wrong for one or two. The monthly forecasts for 2026 are posted in the sidebar under the title "S&P500 Monthly Forecasts". Please note that I expect 2026 to be much more chaotic than 2025. Saturn and Mercury will fall and retrograde during the first quarter, followed by a conjunction of Mars and Saturn in the second quarter. Both Saturn and Mars will fall in the third quarter. Consequently, there can be a few corrections of the order of 8-10%, but the year could still end up flat for the S&P 500 due to the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars and the strength of Venus in the last quarter.
The picture above depicts how the S&P 500 could behave in 2026, though I am not sure how much of it will actually materialize. Still, it is worth keeping in mind. This chart is based on monthly solar return charts, so there is only a single flat line for that month, but there may be significant volatility during that month. This chart shows that we may move up and down in 2026, but may end up unchanged. However, one needs to be careful during the periods Feb 17-March 16, July 17-Aug 16, and Oct 17-Dec 16, 2026.

Monthly Forecast

May 18 - June 17: Slightly higher

June 18 - July 17: Sideways/Flat

During the period (04/17/2026 - 05/17/2026), the U.S. stock market, as measured by the S&P500, moved higher from 7020 to 7400. I was also expecting a slightly higher month.

The market may go slightly higher during the period, May 18 to June 17. The exalted Jupiter occupies the sixth house very close to the ascendant degree. This setup is favorable. Saturn in the sign Aries occupies the third house and is no longer close to Mars or Neptune. This is a slightly unfavorable situation. Mercury is strong in the sign Gemini and is conjunct Uranus. This is a positive feature. Moon in the sign Gemini occupies the fifth house. Combining the effects of all features, I think we may have a solar month that is volatile but ends slightly higher.

The US stock market may go sideways during the month (Jun 18, 2026, to Jul 18, 2026). Venus is the planet that is close to the ascendant degree and it is the sign, Leo, a sign of its enemy, Sun. This is an unfavorable feature. Neptune is another planet on the ascendant degree. It occupies the ninth house. This is a favorable setup. The closest aspect between the two planets is the trine aspect between fallen Saturn and Moon in Leo. This scenario cannot be taken as favorable. Considering everything together, I think this month could be flat or slightly higher for the US stock market.